Translating the 2500-year-old Loving-Kindness Meditation into the 6800 languages of the world

One day, the Buddha sent a group of monks into the forest to meditate. In no time at all, the monks returned, complaining that there were lions, tigers and bears in the forest, and that they were frightened. The Buddha listened to their complaints and then gave them the words of the meditation below, and sent them back into the forest.

May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.

The Loving-Kindness Meditation Project is a transnational effort to translate the 2500-year-old Loving-Kindness Meditation into the world's languages and to bring together the resulting translations in the form of a book. We ask people from all over the world to translate the meditation into their native languages (or into languages in which they are fluent) and to contribute the resulting translations to this on-going and growing project.

The project needs and welcomes your help.

Please send a translation (to cqueins@gmail.com) of the Loving-Kindness Meditation, as written above, in your mother tongue or in a language in which you are fluent (see Guidelines below). To learn more about the meditation, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovingkindness

Technical Guidelines

Please send your translation as a pdf file or a .jpeg, and title the file with the language of the translation (e.g., swahili.pdf). Translations may be typewritten or hand-written, but should be legible. Please specify the language of the translation in the subject line of your email. Also, provide us with contact information, including your name and address, in the email with your translation.

We thank you for your interest and for your efforts.

Contributions will be posted here.

Afrikaans

Arabic

Armenien

Ես կարող եմ լցվել ողորմությամբ:
Ես կարող եմ լավ լինել:
Ես կարող եմ հանգիստ և սառը լինել:
Ես կարող եմ երջանիկ լինել։

Yes karogh yem lts’vel voghormut’yamb:
Yes karogh yem lav linel:
Yes karogh yem hangist yev sarry linel:
Yes karogh yem yerjanik linel.

Asturian

Que yo tea enllenu de benevolencia
Que yo tea bien
Que yo seya serenu y en paz
Que yo seya feliz

Austrian German

BuLGARIAN

Burma-Myamar

Catalan

Que jo m'ompli de tendresa.
Que jo em trobi be.
Que jo estigui en pau i a gust.
Que jo sigui feliç.

Czech

Mohu být naplnen milosrdenstvím.
Mohu být v pořádku.
Mohu být klidný a v pohodě.
Mohu být šťastný.

Chinese

Dutch

Mag ik gevuld worden met liefdevolle vriendelijkheid.
Mag ik gezond zijn.
Mag ik vredig en op mijn gemak zijn.
Mag ik gelukkig zijn.

Finish

Anna lempeyden täyttää elämäni
Anna minun voida hyvin
Anna minun olla levollinen
Anna minun olla onnellinen

Anna lempeyden täyttää elämäsi
Anna itsesi voida hyvin
Anna itsesi olla levollinen 
Anna itsesi olla onnellinen

French

Que je puisse être comblé d'amour et de tendresse.
Que je puisse me sentir bien.
Que je puisse être serein et en paix.
Que je puisse être heureux.

Gaelic

Gum bi mi làn caoimhneas ghràidheil
Gum bi mi slàinteil
Gum bi mi aig fois agus socair
Gum bi mi toilichte

German

Möge ich von liebender Güte erfüllt sein
Möge ich gesund sein
Möge ich ruhig und friedlich sein
Möge ich glücklich sein

Greek

Ας είμαι ΠΛΗΡΗΣ από ΚΑΛΟΣΥΝΗ
Ας είμαι ΚΑΛΑ
Ας είμαι ΕΙΡΗΝΙΚΟΣ και ΓΑΛΗΝΙΟΣ
Ας είμαι ΕΥΤΥΧΗΣ

Hawaiian

Here is the translation of the meditation per my mother. She says there is no translation for "May I", but the closest would be "I am".

Owau piha aloha ( I am filled with loving kindness)
Owau maika'i ( I am well).
Owau ho'omaika'i ( I am at peace and at ease)
Owau hauoli ( I am happy)

Hebrew

Hungarian

Töltsön el irgalom.
Legyek kiegyensúlyozott.
Övezzen béke és nyugalom.
Legyek boldog.

Icelandic

Megi ég fyllast kærleika
Megi ég verða góður
Megi ég finna frið og hugarró
Megi ég verða hamingjusöm

Irish

Go líontar mé le cineáltas an ghrá.
Go rabhas ar fónamh.
Go rabhas fé shuaimhneas is fé shíocháin.
Go rabhas fé shonas.

Alternative Irish translation

I've got an alternative Irish translation for you:

Go raibh mé líonta le cineáltas ceanúil.
Go raibh mé go maith.
Go raibh mé ar suaimhneas.
Go raibh mé sásta.


Have been living in the UK and forgotten a lot unfortunately, so I don't know how it compares with the post that's up already. But that's the beauty of language, that it can be translated in so many different ways.

Italian

POSSA IO ESSERE PIENO DI AMOREVOLE GENTILEZZA
POSSA IO STARE BENE
POSSA IO ESSERE TRANQUILLO E SERENO
POSSA IO ESSERE FELICE

Japanese

Kinyarwanda (Language spoken in Rwanda)

Icyampa kuzura urukundo rwuzuye ineza
Icyampa kumererwa neza
Icyampa kugira amahoro n' ituze
Icyampa kwishima

Korean

나를 자애로움으로 충만하게 하소서
나를 건강하게 하소서
나를 고요하고 평화롭게 하소서
나를 행복하게 하소서

Latvian

Lai manī plūst labestīga mīlestība.
Lai man labi klājas un esmu vesels
Lai esmu brīvs un mierpilns.
Lai es esmu laimīgs.

Norwegian

Må jeg fylles med kjærlighetsfull godhet.
Må jeg ha det bra.
Må jeg være fredelig og lett.
Må jeg være lykkelig.

Persian

Phillippines

Ako sana ay mapuno ng pagmamahal at kabaitan.
Ako sana ay manatiling nasa mabuting kalusugan.
Ako sana ay maging panatag ang kalooban.
Ako sana ay maging maligaya.

Polish

Portugese

Romanian

Sa imi fie inima plină de iubire si.
bunavointa.
Sa imi fie bine.
Sa fie pace in sufletul meu.
Sa fiu fericit.

Alternative Romanian translation

Fie ca toate ființele să fie sănătoase, în siguranță, fericite și libere

Russian

Serbian

Neka budem ispunjen brižnim saosećanjem,
Neka budem dobro,
Neka budem opušten i u miru,
Neka budem srećan.

Slovene

Naj bom poln / a ljubeče dobrote
Naj bom zdrav / a
Naj bom umirjen / a in sproŠčen/a
Naj bom srečen / a

SPANISH

Pudiera yo estar lleno de amabilidad (amorosa)
Pudiera yo estar bien
Pudiera yo eastar, tranquilo y relajado
Pudiera yo ser feliz

SPANISH (LAtin Amrica)

Quisiera llenarme de cariño
Quisiera estar bien
Quisiera estar en paz y tranquila
Quisiera ser feliz

Swahili

Nahitaji kujazwa na upendo ulio na wema
Nahitaji kuwa mzima
Nahitaji kuwa na amani na utulivu
Nahitaji kuwa mwenye furaha

Swedish

Swiss German

Mög ich vo liebender güeti erfüllt sii
Mög ich gsund sii
Mög ich ruhig und friedlich sii
Mög ich glücklich sii

Thai

Turkish

Welsh

Boed i mi fod yn llawn caredigrwydd gwresog.
Boed i mi iechyd da.
Boed i mi fod yn heddychlon ac yn dawel fy meddwl.
Boed i mi lawenydd.